The Confederation of Indian Industry organized a Global Dialogue on Food Systems Transformation to engage industry stakeholders in G20 countries to shape the future of food systems and showcase implementation models for food systems transformation. The event, held April 20-21, 2023 at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi, India, was attended by stakeholders from over 30 countries, and focused on sustainable agriculture, reducing food waste, improving food safety, and promoting healthy diets.
Speaking at the conference, Ravinder Grover, HarvestPlus Asia Regional Coordinator, emphasized the need for a sustainable and nutrition-sensitive food system that addresses malnutrition and related health issues. Grover highlighted the importance of consuming biofortified crops that address widespread micronutrient deficiencies in India and other developing nations.
Howarth Bouis, Founding Director of HarvestPlus, reiterated the importance of biofortification in addressing malnutrition. He emphasized the need for a comprehensive approach that combines biofortification with other interventions such as food fortification, dietary diversification, and supplementation to address the multiple forms of malnutrition that exist.
Bouis also highlighted the role that public-private partnerships can play in promoting biofortification and scaling up the production and distribution of biofortified crops. He noted that biofortification could benefit further from the application of transgenic and other advanced agricultural crop development technologies.
The event highlighted the need for a holistic approach to transforming India’s food system, including the use of technology, innovation, and collaboration among stakeholders. The discussions also emphasized the importance of creating a sustainable and resilient food system that can address the challenges of climate change, food insecurity, and malnutrition.